Bladder leakage affects over 1.2 million Australian men aged 45 and older, yet three-quarters of this group either ignore the issue or adopt ineffective coping mechanisms—often fearing it will undermine their masculinity. Recognizing this silence as a barrier to better health, Kimberly-Clark Australia tasked Elmwood with positioning DEPEND as a category leader and empowering men to reclaim their confidence. The mission was clear: reshape societal perceptions, normalize conversations, and provide a solution that aligned with active, modern lifestyles.
The challenge extended beyond launching the product. Navigating deeply sensitive topics like aging and stigma required a bold, culturally resonant approach that could connect authentically with Australian men.

From Insights to Impactful Action
Through extensive engagement with the target demographic, we uncovered three pivotal insights that formed the foundation of our strategy:
1. Existing advertising missed the mark, often trivializing bladder leakage with excessive humour or overwhelming audiences with overly serious messaging.
2. The conversation was virtually non-existent, with more social media chatter surrounding erectile dysfunction than incontinence.
3. Awareness of DEPEND’s discreet and high-performing product—and its potential to enhance quality of life—was critically low.
These insights highlighted the need for a campaign that could balance relatability, respect, and authenticity while encouraging open dialogue.

The Risky Business Campaign
Inspired by Australian culture and infused with humour and nostalgia, the campaign drew on the iconic “Risky Business” scene where Tom Cruise slides across the floor in his underwear. By parodying this culturally recognizable moment, we crafted a relatable and light-hearted narrative that tackled bladder leakage head-on. This approach achieved two key objectives:
• Humour as a connector: Disarming discomfort and breaking societal stigmas, humour turned a sensitive topic into an approachable conversation starter.
• Nostalgia and familiarity: Leveraging an iconic pop-culture reference evoked warmth and relatability, bridging the gap between the brand and its audience.

Extensive audience research and testing ensured that the campaign’s tone remained uplifting and empathetic, avoiding the pitfalls of trivializing or offending. By blending humour with authenticity, the “Risky Business” campaign broke barriers and reframed DEPEND as a trusted ally in men’s health.

The campaign redefined bladder leakage as a topic of empowerment rather than embarrassment, elevating DEPEND beyond a product to a relatable and trusted brand champion. It also transformed the category, propelling DEPEND Men’s Washable Underwear into a new market position as a leading voice in men’s health.

Impact and Results
The campaign achieved exceptional results, including:
• 7.7% increase in brand recall, outperforming platform benchmarks with a lower-than-expected spend.
• Ad recall more than doubled positive responses, signalling a significant shift in consumer perception.
• 10+ million impressions across channels, with skippable ads delivering a 66% view-through rate, 5% higher than previous campaigns.
• Cost efficiencies included:
• 12% lower CPM on BVOD.
• 33.75% lower CPM on Video Reach Campaigns.
• 25% lower cost-per-view on TrueView channels.

Beyond the metrics, the campaign captured widespread attention in leading publications such as B&T, Marketing Interactive, and Little Black Book, collectively reaching over a million monthly readers across APAC and beyond. By challenging the stigma with humour and confidence, the DEPEND campaign opened the door to meaningful conversations and proved that even the most sensitive topics can drive positive change.